Starlight Vol 1 17
Appearing in Nala Featured Characters: *Team Starlight **Cadmus Way / Starlight **Nala Highland (Flashback & Main Story) Supporting Characters: *Team Starlight **Parker Hayes **Eliza Newman **Hunter Keyes Antagonists: *Jace (Flashback) Synopsis for Nala Nala (Narration): I suppose it's my turn. We see flashes of: * A balloon floating towards the sky. * A young Nala shivering in a vent. * A skull-and-crossbones earing hanging from a teenage Nala's ear. * Nala in the present, sitting at the fire. We cut to a black page that says "Nala". We then return to the fire, where the others look on, somewhat surprised. Cadmus: I mean... you don't have to go next. Hunter: Yeah, this is completely optional. Nala: I know. Why so serious? Eliza: Nala, you're not exactly the most forthcoming out of us. Nala pauses. Nala (Quietly): Maybe it's time that changed. Nala: I grew up, as one would expect, surrounded by wealth and prosperity. We cut to the past, to a beautiful garden outside of a mansion. A very young Nala is running, shrieking, through the garden, her father chasing after her, laughing. Nala is holding the red balloon from earlier. Nala runs through the gardens, on and on, for a few panels, until she comes to a stop. Panting. For a panel or two, there is quiet. Then her father bursts from the trees, laughing, and grabs her as she screams and laughs. He picks her up and twirls her. Mrs. Highland: Having fun without me? Nala's mother, a kind, pretty woman, steps from the shadows, and Nala leaps down and embraces her. She's so taken in embracing her mother that she hardly notices as she lets loose the balloon, which drifts into the sky. Suddenly, she sees, and breaks away. Nala: No! My balloon! Mr. Highland: It's okay, sweetie, we'll get you another-- Mrs. Highland: No. She smiles at Nala. Mrs. Highland: Did you like that balloon, sweetheart? Nala: Y-yes. Please, Mommy, can you get it for me. Mr. Highland: No, but we can easily buy you another-- Mrs. Highland: Roger. Mr. Highland: Priya. Mrs. Highland: Not everything can be replaced. She bends down to smile at Nala. Mrs. Highland: Remember, sweetie. The important things? They stay with you. Nala: My mother said that. I don't know if its true. What followed would suggest otherwise. Nala hugs herself, crying, in a vent, only a bit older. She can see through the bars, as there is shouting and screaming, muffled and incomprehensible. Nala: When I was seven, three men broke into our house. Burglars, or spies, or whatever, we would never know. All I knew is I crawled into the vents when my mother asked. Nala watches, tears trickling down her cheeks, as her mother is stabbed over and over again by the men in dark clothing. Nala: Small spaces still remind me of watching her die. We cut back to the present. Team Starlight looks at Nala, uncertain what to say. Everyone: ... Nala: Life went on. Or, at least, it was supposed to. We cut back to the past. The skies darken as the mansion's gardens fade, replaced by fence after fence and more and more guards. Nala watches from a window, now a teenager. She is wearing dark, edgy, clothing. Nala: My father became protective. I went from his daughter to his most prized possession. Nala hesitates as a guard walks past her door. Then, slowly, she sneaks out, around the corner, down the hall. Nala: I felt trapped. So, I rebelled. Nala attends a punk rock concert, jumping and screaming in the mosh pit and making out with an edgy-looking guy. Nala: I fell in with a boy. One who believed my mother's death meant something. We cut to her and the boy in another room, tinkering with computers and something familiar... an EMP, the same kind she helped Parker build in the first arc. Boy: The system is rigged, man. It belongs to the corporate fat cats who will do anything to bring each other down. Nala: Okay. Boy: Together, we can bring it down. We can bring it all down. Nala: I love you, Jacie. They make out. We cut back to the present. Team Starlight looks pretty disturbed. Nala: Yeah. It was a weird time for me. Cadmus: No, sorry, sorry, uh... it's just... Eliza: You sound so... Nala: Weak? I was. Nala: I let Jace convince me to take part in his plans. I did everything he said. And then he asked me to do something bad. Nala shakes her head, aghast, as an angry Jace yells at her. Jace: You stupid cow! Can't you see how important this is? Nala: My classmates didn't do anything! Jace: They're symptoms of the problem! Once you kill them, their parents will have to take notice! Nala: I'm not killing anyone! Jace: You're going to kill them, you !@#$ or so help me, I'll kill you. Nala flinches, in the past and the present. Hunter: But you didn't? Nala (Softly): No. But I almost did. Nala: I got as far as the lobby before I was brave enough to call the police. He went to jail. I was expelled, and sent to public school as a punishment. My Dad figured out that he had to let me breathe a bit. I figured out the only person I could trust? Was me. We watch as Jace is pulled away by the police, his bombs being defused, as he shouts and screams. In the present, Team Starlight pauses, thoughtful. Nala:... And then I met all of you. Hunter: And you trust us? Nala: No. She hesitates. Nala: But maybe I'm starting to. For a moment, there's silence. Cadmus hesitates, and reaches over, taking Nala's hand. Next: Parker! Solicit Synopsis Nala and Parker take their turns as Starlight's character vignettes continue. Trivia Category:Paragon Comics Category:Starlight Category:BeholdtheVision